aas 63 [1971] - ocr

ACTA

APOSTOLICAE SEDIS

COMMENTARIUM OFFICIALE

AN. ET VOL. LXIII

TYPIS POLYGLOTTIS VATICANIS M-DCCCC LXXI

An. et vol. LXIII 30 Ianuarii 1971 N. 1

ACTA APOSTOLICAE SEDIS C O M M E N T A R I U M O F F I C I A L E

Directio: Palazzo Apostolico - Citt del Vaticano Administratio: Libreria Editrice Vaticana

ACTA PAULI PP. VI

NUNTIUS

Ad universos homines, praesertim Christifideles, calendis ianuariis diem fovendae paci per totum terrarum orbem dicatum celebraturos.

Ascoltateci. Vale la pena. S, la solita parola la nostra: pace. Ma la parola, di cui il mondo ha bisogno; un bisogno urgente, che

la rende nuova. Apriamo gli occhi sull'alba di questo nuovo anno, e osserviamo due

ordini di fatti generali, i quali investono il mondo, i popoli, le famiglie, le singole persone. Questi fatti, a noi sembra, incidono profondamente e direttamente sui nostri destini. Ciascuno di noi ne pu essere l'oroscopo.

Osservate un primo ordine di fatti. Veramente non un ordine, ma un disordine. Perch i fatti, che colleghiamo in questa categoria, segnano tutti un ritorno a pensieri e ad opere, che l'esperienza tragica della guerra pareva avesse, o dovesse avere annullati. Alla fine della guerra tutti ave-vano detto: basta. Basta a che cosa? Basta a tutto ci che aveva generato la carneficina umana e l'immane rovina. Subito dopo la guerra, all'inizio di questa generazione, l'umanit ebbe un lampo di coscienza: bisogna non solo comporre le tombe, medicare le ferite, restaurare i disastri, ri-dare alla terra una faccia nuova e migliore, ma bisogna togliere le cause della conflagrazione subita. Le cause: questa fu l'idea sapiente; cercarle, eliminarle. Il mondo respir. Davvero parve che stesse per nascere un'e-poca nuova, quella della pace universale.1 Tutti parvero disposti a mu-tamenti radicali, in vista di evitare nuovi conflitti. Dalle strutture po-

1 Cfr. Virgilio, Bucolicon IV, 2: magnus ab integro saeclorum nascitur ordo.

6 Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale

litiche, sociali, economiche si giunse a prospettare un orizzonte di stu-pende innovazioni morali e sociali; si parl di giustizia, di diritti umani, di promozione dei deboli, di convivenza ordinata, di collaborazione orga-nizzata, di unione mondiale. Grandi gesti sono stati compiuti; i vincitori, ad esempio, si sono fatti soccorritori dei vinti; grandi istituzioni sono state fondate; il mondo cominci ad organizzarsi su principii di solida-riet e di benessere comune. Il cammino verso la pace, come condizione normale e statutaria della vita del mondo, parve definitivamente tracciato.

Se non che, che cosa vediamo dopo venticinque anni di questo reale e idilliaco progresso1? Vediamo, innanzi tutto, che le guerre, qua e l, infieriscono ancora, e sembrano piaghe inguaribili, che minacciano di allargarsi e aggravarsi. Vediamo continuare e, qua e l, crescere le discri-minazioni sociali, razziali, religiose. Vediamo risorgere la mentalit d'una volta; l'uomo sembra riattestarsi su posizioni psicologiche prima, poli-tiche poi, del tempo passato. Eisorgono i dmoni di ieri. Eitorna la su-premazia degli interessi economici2 col facile abuso dello sfruttamento dei deboli; ritorna l'abitudine all'odio 3 e alla lotta di classe, e rinasce cos un'endemica guerra internazionale e civile; ritorna la gara del pre-stigio nazionale e del potere politico; ritorna il braccio di ferro delle am-bizioni contrastanti, dei particolarismi chiusi e irriducibili delle razze e dei sistemi ideologici; si ricorre alla tortura e al terrorismo; si ricorre al delitto e alla violenza, come a fuoco ideale, non badando all'incendio che ne pu derivare; si ripensa alla pace come ad un puro equilibrio di forze poderose e di armamenti spaventosi; si risente il brivido del timore che qualche fatale imprudenza faccia scoppiare inconcepibili e irrefrenabili conflagrazioni. Che cosa succede? Dove si va'? Che cosa venuto meno? o che cosa mancato? Dobbiamo rassegnarci, dubitando che l'uomo sia incapace di realizzare una pace giusta e sicura, e rinunciando a imprimere nell'educazione delle generazioni nuove la speranza e la mentalit della pace? 4

Per fortuna, un altro diagramma di idee e di fatti si profila davanti alla nostra osservazione; ed quello della pace progressiva. Perch, no-

2 ... en acceptant la primaut de valeurs matrielles, nous rendons la guerre in-vitable.... Zundel, Le pome de la sainte liturgie, p. 76.

3 ... ci sono poche cose che corrompano tanto un popolo, quanto l'abitudine del-l'odio. Manzoni, Morale cattolica, I, VII.

4 Circa i mali della guerra, cfr. S. Agostino, De Civitate Dei, 1. XIX, c. 7: ... chi li sopporta e li pensa senza angoscia dell'animo, assai pi miseramente si crede sod-disfatto, perch ha perduto anche il sentimento umano: et humanum perdidit sensum.

Acta Pauli Pp. VI 7

nostante tutto, la pace cammina. Yi sono discontinuit, T sono incoe-renze e difficolt; ma tuttavia la pace cammina e si attesta nel mondo con un carattere di invincibilit. Tutti lo avvertono: la pace necessaria. Essa ha per s il progresso morale dell'umanit, decisamente orientata verso l'unit. Unit e pace, quando la libert le unisce, sono sorelle. Essa, la pace, proftta del favore crescente dell'opinione pubblica, convinta dell'assurdit della guerra perseguita per se stessa, e creduta mezzo unico e fatale per dirimere le controversie fra gli uomini. Essa si vale della rete sempre pi ftta dei rapporti umani: culturali, economici, commerciali, sportivi, turistici; bisogna vivere insieme, ed bello conoscersi, stimarsi, aiutarsi. Una solidariet fondamentale si sta formando nel mondo; essa favorisce la pace. E le relazioni internazionali si sviluppano sempre pi, e creano la premessa, ed anche la garanzia d'una certa concordia. Le grandi istituzioni internazionali e supernazionali si rivelano provviden-ziali, tanto all'origine quanto al coronamento della pacifica convivenza dell'umanit.

Davanti a questo duplice quadro, che sovrappone fenomeni contrari in ordine allo scopo, che sommamente ci sta a cuore, cio la pace, una osservazione unica, ambivalente, pare a noi possa essere ricavata. Po-niamo la duplice domanda, correlativa a due aspetti dell'ambigua scena del mondo presente:

come, oggi, decade la pace? e come, oggi, progredisce la pace? Qual l'elemento che emerge, in senso negativo, ovvero in senso po-

sitivo, da questa semplice analisi? L'elemento sempre l'uomo. L'uomo svalutato nel primo caso, l'uomo valutato nel secondo. Osiamo una pa-rola, che pu apparire essa stessa ambigua, ma considerata nell'esigenza della sua profondit, parola sempre fiammante e suprema: l'amore, l'a-more all'uomo, come primo valore dell'ordine terreno. Amore e pace sono entit correlative. La/pace un effetto dell'amore; quella vera, quella umana.5 La pace suppone una certa identit di scelta . E questa ami-cizia. Se vogliamo la pace, dobbiamo riconoscere la necessit di fondarla su basi pi solide che non sia quella o della mancanza di rapporti (ora i rappor-ti fra gli uomini sono inevitabili, crescono e s'impongono), ovvero quella dell'esistenza di rapporti di interesse egoistico (sono precari e spesso fal-laci), ovvero quella del tessuto di rapporti puramente culturali o acci-dentali (possono essere a doppio taglio, per la pace o per la lotta). La

s Cfr. S. Th., II-II, 29, 3.


pace vera deve essere fondata sulla giustizia, sul senso dell'intangibile dignit umana, sul riconoscimento d'una incancellabile e felice eguaglianza fra gli uomini, sul dogma basilare della fraternit umana. Cio del rispetto, dell'amore dovuto ad ogni uomo, perch uomo. Erompe la parola vitto-riosa: perch fratello. Fratello mio, fratello nostro.

Anche questa coscienza della fraternit umana universale procede fe-licemente nel nostro mondo, almeno in linea di principio. Chi fa opera per educare le nuove generazioni alla convinzione che ogni uomo no-stro fratello costruisce dalle fondamenta l'edifcio della pace. Chi inse-risce nell'opinione pubblica il sentimento della fratellanza umana senza confine prepara al mondo giorni migliori. Chi concepisce la tutela degli interessi politici senza la spinta dell'odio e della lotta fra gli uomini, co-me necessit dialettica e organica del vivere sociale, apre alla convivenza umana il progresso sempre attivo del bene comune. Chi aiuta a scoprire in ogni uomo, al di l dei caratteri somatici, etnici, razziali, l'esistenza d'un essere eguale al proprio, trasforma la terra da un epicentro di divi-sioni, di antagonismi, d'insidie e di vendette in un campo di lavoro orga-nico di civile collaborazione. Perch dove la fratellanza fra gli uomini in radice misconosciuta in radice rovinata la pace. E la pace invece lo specchio della umanit vera, autentica, moderna, vittoriosa d'ogni ana-cronistico autolesionismo. la pace la grande idea celebrativa dell'amore fra gli uomini, che si scoprono fratelli e si decidono a vivere tali.

Questo il nostro messaggio per l'anno 71. Esso fa eco, come voce che scaturisca nuova dalla coscienza civile, alla dichiarazione dei Diritti dell'uomo: Tutti gii uomini nascono liberi ed eguali nella dignit e nei diritti; essi sono dotati di ragione e di coscienza, e devono comportarsi gli uni verso gli altri come fratelli . Fino a questa vetta salita la dot-trina della civilt. Non torniamo indietro. Non perdiamo i tesori di questa conquista assiomatica. Diamo piuttosto applicazione logica e coraggiosa a questa formula, traguardo dell'umano progresso: ogni uomo mio fratello . Questa la pace, in essere e in fieri. E vale per tutti!

Yale, Fratelli di fede in Cristo, specialmente per noi. Alla sapienza umana, la quale, con immenso sforzo, arrivata a cos alta e difficile conclusione, noi credenti possiamo aggiungere un conforto indispensabile. Quello, innanzi tutto, della certezza (perch dubbi d'ogni genere possono insidiarla, indebolirla, annullarla). La nostra certezza nella parola divina di Cristo maestro, che la scolp nel suo Vangelo: Voi tutti siete fratelli .6

6 Mt. 23, 8.

Acta Pauli Pp. VI 9

Poi possiamo offrire il conforto della possibilit dell'applicazione (perch, nella realt pratica quanto difficile essere davvero fratelli verso ogni nomo!); lo possiamo con il ricorso, come a canone pratico e normale d'a-zione, ad un altro fondamentale insegnamento di Cristo: Tutto quello che voi volete che gli uomini facciano a voi, fatelo voi stessi a loro; questa infatti tutta la legge e la dottrina dei profeti .7 Filosofi e Santi quanto hanno meditato su questa massima, che innesta l'universalit della norma di fratellanza nell'azione singola e concreta della moralit sociale! E an-cora, finalmente, noi siamo in grado di fornire l'argomento supremo: quello della Paternit divina, comune a tutti gli uomini, proclamata a tutti i credenti. Una vera fraternit fra gli uomini, per essere autentica e obbligante, suppone ed esige una Paternit trascendente e riboccante di metafisico amore, di soprannaturale carit. Noi possiamo insegnare la fratellanza umana, cio la pace, insegnando a riconoscere, ad amare, a invocare il Padre nostro, che sta nei cieli. Noi sappiamo di trovare sbar-rato l'adito all'altare di Dio se non abbiamo prima noi stessi rimosso l'ostacolo alla riconciliazione con l'uomo-fratello.8 E sappiamo che se saremo promotori di pace, allora potremo essere'chiamati figli di Dio, ed essere fra coloro che il Vangelo dichiara beati.9

Quale forza, quale fecondit, quale fiducia lareligione cristiana con-ferisce all'equazione fraternit e pace. E quale gaudio per noi d'incon-trare alla coincidenza dei termini di questo binomio l'incrocio dei sentieri della nostra fede con quelli delle umane e civili speranze!

Dal Vaticano, 14 novembre 1970.

PAULUS PP. VI

7 Mt. 7, 12. 8 Mt. 5, 23 ss.; 6, 14-15. 9 Mt. 5, 9.


SUMMI PONTIFICIS PEREGRINANTE ITER IN ASIAM ET OCEANIAM

Beatissimus Pater iter est aggressus arovehiculo, primo mane ex Urbe discedens, die xxvi mensis novembris a. MCMLXX, ut Manilana, magnam Phi-lippinarum Insularum urbem, se conferret.

Antequam velivolum conscendit in aronavium portu Leonardo da Vinci , his verbis suscepti itineris causas patefecit:

Al momento di partire per questo lungo viaggio attraverso l'Asia e l'Oceania, il vostro pensiero si aggrava, forse, di interrogativi. La Nostra partenza non ha nulla a che vedere n col turismo, n col desiderio di sco-prire nuove terre: il Nostro allontanamento non diminuisce aifatto il po-sto che occupano nel Nostro cuore tutti i cari abitanti della citt e della diocesi di Eoma, la cui assiduit nell'accogliere la Nostra parola e la fe-delt nel venirCi a salutare, in ogni Nostro spostamento, Ci commuove. Noi speriamo che il loro pensiero, seguendoci nel corso di questo lungo viaggio, sar accompagnato dalla preghiera per la riuscita del Nostro programma.

Andiamo lontano! D un ordine del Signore: Andate, insegnate a tutte le genti . la missione stessa di Ges che continua.

Pietro e Paolo, con i loro compagni, hanno lasciato la Palestina per andare ai confini del mondo allora conosciuto.

J in nome dello stesso mandato storico, che Noi andiamo, come gi negli altri pellegrinaggi apostolici, verso il mondo, e, oggi, verso l'Estremo Oriente, l'Australia e l'Oceania: per essere i messaggeri di Cristo presso popoli e nazioni di varia e antica origine storica, di insigni tradizioni etni-che e culturali, di diversit di costumi e di religione.

Ma il Nostro viaggio ha anche una finalit che, sia pure presente nei precedenti, ha questa volta una pi marcata evidenza: sar l'incontro con i Nostri Fratelli nell'Episcopato, anch'essi portatori, in quelle lontane re-gioni, del mandato e del messaggio di Cristo.

La Nostra missione si svolger nello spirito della comunione e della collegialit con i Yescovi di quelle regioni immense per superfcie e per popolazione. Noi confidiamo che l'unit della Chiesa cattolica ne risul-ter rafforzata, ancor pi stretto sar il vincolo della collegialit, ne sar stimolata l'attivit missionaria ed allargata l'intesa con le altre religioni, a servizio del progresso e della pace:

Acta Pauli Pp. VI 11

In questo contesto Boma ha una responsabilit particolare. Cuore della Chiesa Cattolica, essa non intende imporre l'uniformit, ma essere il punto di convergenza di molteplici espressioni d'una unica fede, come il punto di partenza di principi che assicurano la dimensione cattolica di ciascun credente.

Ci affidiamo alla protezione della Vergine Maria, dei Santi Apostoli Pietro e Paolo, di San Francesco Saverio, Apostolo dell'Asia, ai tanti Santi e Beati che hanno dato la loro vita per Cristo in quella vasta regione del globo. Una parola di particolare ringraziamento dobbiamo a Lei, Si-gnor Presidente, per la sua presenza e per i suoi voti, i quali noi ricam-biamo per Lei e per i Membri del Governo e per tutto il Popolo Italiano, con viva partecipazione alle speranze per la felice soluzione delle gravi questioni del momento. Bingraziamo le autorit civili e militari, il perso-nale dell'Aeroporto e voi tutti che, con la vostra abituale cortesia, avete voluto salutarci alla Nostra partenza e agevolarci questo viaggio.

Che Dio benedica le vostre persone e le vostre famiglie e voglia favo-rire i vostri desideri!

Post meridiem, arovehiculum terram attigit in Teheraniensi aroportu, ubi Summus Pontifex a Celsissimo Viro Reza Pahlavi, Iranianae Gentis Impe-ratore, humanis salutatus verbis, ita respondit:

Majest,

Nous apprcions vivement la courtoisie que Vous Nous manifestez en venant personnellement Nous accueillir cette escale de notre voyage vers l'Asie Orientale. Veuillez accepter notre salut respectueux.

Nous savons les grandes uvres ralises par votre Majest pour le bien-tre de votre peuple. Nous prions Dieu de vous conserver sa pro-tection pour la poursuite d'une action si mritoire et de vous bnir avec votre famille.

Nous saluons galement avec dfrence les Autorits du Gouverne-ment et les membres de la Cour Impriale qui Nous manifestent, en cette circonstance, les nobles traditions d'hospitalit de ce peuple.

Notre salut va aussi vers les Membres du Corps Diplomatique qui Nous ont fait l'honneur de venir jusqu'ici pour Nous rencontrer. Nous avons la joie d'entretenir avec un grand nombre de leurs peuples, comme avec le peuple iranien, les relations les plus cordiales. Nous les prions de transmettre leurs Gouvernements l'expression de notre estime et nos souhaits de prosprit.

A tous les habitants de Thran venus au-devant de Nous, Nous


disons notre reconnaissance pour leur accueil si fervent et si amical. Nous invitons tous les croyants se joindre Nous pour prier le Dieu Tout-Puissant de bnir cette grande et antique cit l'histoire si riche et d'ac-corder paix et bonheur tout le peuple iranien.

A tous nos fils catholiques, aux prtres, aux religieux, aux religieuses, groups autour de leurs vques, Nous affirmons notre paternelle affec-tion, notre joie de Nous trouver pour quelques instants au milieu d'eux. Le but du voyage qui Nous conduit si loin est d'ordre spirituel. Il s'inscrit dans la mission que Nous avons reue de Jsus-Christ, en tant que suc-cesseur du chef de aptres, d'avoir le souci de toutes les Eglises. Nous sommes heureux d'avoir ce contact avec l'Eglise d'Iran et de grand cur Nous vous accordons notre bndiction apostolique.

A tous ceux qui s'honorent du nom de chrtien, Nous disons notre fraternelle amiti, Nous rjouissant de cette occasion pour les assurer de notre respect pour la richesse de leurs traditions spirituelles, notre grand dsir d'unit dans la soumission aux voies de la Providence, de notre prire pour qu'en tout triomphe l'esprit de charit.

Nous esprons que notre voyage portera des fruits d'entente plus troite entre les communauts de toutes origines et de toutes confessions religieuses de cette partie du monde; qu'il encouragera une action soli-daire pour le progrs, pour la justice et pour la paix; qu'il stimulera les esprits chercher les voies de la paix tant dsire du cur des hommes.

Dieu veuille Nous exaucer! Nous le prions de faire descendre sur les Autorits et sur tout le peu-

ple d'Iran ses plus abondantes bndictions.

Iterum in urbe Dacca, itinere parumper intermisso, humanissime exceptus ab Excellentissimo Viro Mohammad Yahya Khan, Pakistanae Reipublicae Praeside, cives universos, praesertim Christifideles, in aroportu sic alloquitur:

I have come to you as a friend among friends, as a brother among friends, as a brother among brothers. I have come to tell you how much I share your grief on this occasion, how deeply I sympathize with the bereaved families, and how much I would like to comfort you with my fraternal friendship.

I come to you as head of the Catholic religion, whose Founder made brotherly love the sign by which his disciples were to be known. I would like to tell you in my weak words how the Catholic people are filled with deep compassion and have the desire to be one with you. I do not come with the prestige of riches or with the power of technological assistance.

Aeta Pauli Pp. VI 13

I do, of course, esteem and encourage those governments and peoples throughout the world who have nobly risen up to help you. My own participation comes no less from the heart; for I believe profoundly that we are children of the one human family. The sorrow that now engulfs your people must not turn to despair. May the concrete testimony of people's solidarity in coming to your aid be a light for you in the dark period through which you are going; may it be a comfort and restore your courage and hope in a better tomorrow.

To my brother Catholics here I renew the appeal which I launched when news came of the calamity which put this region in mourning, that they should take their place side by side with other men of goodwill who are coming to help you. If the words I am speaking to you find an echo be-yond yourselves, I again exhort Catholics throughout the world to share generously what they have with those who have lost all.

I have also asked the organization Caritas Internationalis and all the Catholic relief institutions to place their undertakings and resources at the service of the victims of the disaster. May these be a testimony, even if only a modest .one, of my great desire and that of the Catholic faithful to relieve the suffering and assist the most urgent needs. May they show the wish we all have to join in the stream of international aid, not in any spirit of competition but out of brotherly love, and fidelity to the com-mand of Jesus Christ: " Treat others as you would like them to treat you ".

I present my respectful greetings to the public authorities who, in spite of their present heavy burden of duties, were good enough to come to meet me. Let them be assured of my sympathy in this grief which touches the whole nation, and of my encouragement that they may find speedily and effectively the solutions to the innumerable problems facing them at this moment.

I pray God to bless all men of goodwill who were moved by your appeal.

I assure all who mourn or suffer, whatever be their religion, of my earnest prayers to God, the Lord of everything and the Father of all, that he may bestow on them the comfort of his protection and the sweet-ness of his merciful love.

U Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale

Postridie, primo mane, Beatissimus Pater in Manilensi aroportu terram attigit ubi humanissime exceptus ab Excellentissimo Viro Ferdinando Marcos, Phihppinarum Insularum Reipublicae Praeside, religiosis ac civilibus Mode-ratoribus ceterisque qui aderant haec protulit verba:

Here we are iri the Philippines, in this great land so dear to our heart. We greet it with great joy, in the name of the Lord, who sends us just as he sent Peter and the Apostles across the world. May the peace of Christ come down and dwell in it.

We offer our respectful greeting to you, Mister President, who have had the great courtesy to come and welcome us. We thank you in the name of the Lord. For us it is an honor and a pleasure to spend a few hours in the midst of the Filipino people, whose admirable hospitality is being shown to us from this very moment in such a cordial fashion.

We greet you, venerable brothers in the episcopate, and in particular you who are the Cardinal of Manila, whose great diocese, so rich in history and virtues, offers a welcome at this first contact of a Pope with the Far East. We have come to bring you the assurance of our fraternal affection and to manifest our desire of communion with you in your pastoral res-ponsibilities.

To you, the people of the Philippines, who have gathered here in such great numbers to bring us the first homage of your generous hearts, we express our affectionate greeting, our great joy at having been given the grace to come to you and our deep desire to proclaim our attachment for your people who, in the course of history, have given proof in such a wonderful way of the depth of their faith.

We come here in obedience to our spiritual mission: we have come to take part in the deliberations of the Conference of the bishops of the whole of Eastern Asia. We wish to seek together, in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, how best to proclaim the Gospel to the men of this time and of this continent. We are seeking to make an eternal and universal message an answer to the questions asked by the man of today. The Gospel is, for all men, the message of salvation.

We invoke upon you the abundance of divine grace. May God bless you and your good intentions, may he grant prosperity to the great na-tion of the Philippines.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!


E ceteris allocutionibus a Summo Pontifice habitis in urbe Manila, hae re-feruntur:

In Manilensi cathedrali aede ad Episcopos, sacerdotes, religiosas commu-nitates, qui Sacro a Beatissimo Patre peracto intererant.

Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, Dear sons and daughters,

We have just arrived on Philippine soil, and we have wanted to make our first stop here in this Cathedral, to greet you. We thank you for your affectionate and cordial welcome. From the bottom of our heart we offer you the greeting exchanged by the followers of the same Jesus Christ. It is in his name that we have come among you: it is to glorify and thank him for the wonders accomplished in this part of Asia and in so many other countries of this great continent. It is in order that the Church may pursue with renewed zeal her work of salvation that we have desired to take part in the deliberations of this first general Conference of the bishops of Asia. To God through Jesus Christ be honor for ever and ever.1

Allow us, dear venerable brothers, to express all the esteem and re-spect that we have for you and for your heavy tasks. Vast distances often separate you from one another; immense populations demand your pastoral generosity. God grant that this fraternal meeting may strength-en you in the exercise of a divine gift bestowed on you to watch over and serve the People of God, in power and love.2

You we greet with fatherly affection who are the members of the clergy, diocesan and missionary, and you who are Eeligious. You also are our brothers and sisters in the faith common to all of us; you are the special object of God's goodness, which has given you the grace to serve in a special way the saving work of the Church.

A vocation to the priesthood or to the practice of the evangelical counsels is in fact a sign of great love by him who has chosen you out from a large number and called you to share his friendship in a special way: " I shall not call you servants any more ", said Our Lord, " be-cause a servant does not know his master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father " . 3 May your hearts be ever filled with gratitude and joy for this precious gift of your vocation!

1 Cf. Rom 16:27. 2 Cf. 2 Tim 1:7.

3 Jn 15:15.


What a joy it is for the Pope to see you all gathered here in this sa-cred place of prayer. Our first wish is to render heartfelt homage to the generations of missionaries who, from the first begirinings, have built up this admirable Christian community of the Philippines, of which you, the priests and the Religious of this land, are the finest witness. Corning as you do from varying backgrounds, united in fraternal love in one faith and dedicated to the service of one and the same Master, you have an-swered love with love. One is not always able to give due recognition to the depth of your sacrifice and to the sometimes heroic perseverance which you must have to live out your lives in the service of others, and most often of the poorest. Nor is it easy to appreciate fully the deep meaning of your lives, for they are not motivated by human interest, but illumi-nated by faith. " I t is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted " , 4 as Our Lord likewise tells us.

We willingly affirm aloud that the priesthood and the religious life are the best signs of the vitality of a Christian community, and its finest treasure; they are the very expression of the life and holiness of the Church.5

The task which is yours is often exacting. Even though the world to which you devote yourselves manifests a surprising richness of natural virtues and a remarkable religious spirit, it demands your time, your skill and your heart, without allowing you rest. " The harvest is rich but the laborers are few " . 6 New situations are arising, particularly with the development of towns, the increasing proportion of young people and the influence of social communications. All these demand that you give your attention to new social groups, adopting certain pastoral and teaching methods. Providentially, the universal Church has the benefit at this time of the rich doctrinal and pastoral documents of the Second Vatican Council. We urge you to draw from them the inspiration for your undertakings, in close communion with your bishops and superiors.

Take courage, dear sons and daughters. It is the Lord who has called you and who sends you out. It is his work that you are doing: " We are God's fellow workers " 7 you can say with Saint Paul. Therefore be faithful to Jesus Christ. Nourish your gift of self at the inexhaustible fount which is the Eucharist. The more fervent your union with Christ, the richer

1 Mi 19:11. * Of. Const, dogm. de Ecclesia Lumen gentium, n. 44. 6 Mt 9:37; Lk 10:1. 7 Cf. 2 Cor 6:1.


will be the life of the Church and the more fruitful its apostolatu8 Have a solid devotion to the Mother of God, who is so honored in your land.

As a pledge of our fatherly affection and our encouragement, we give you with all our heart our Apostolic Blessing.

Ad Excellentissimum Virum Ferdinandum Marcos, Philippinarum Insu-larum Reipublicae Praesidem.

Mister President,

We are happy to present our respectful greeting to Your Excellency as head and highest representative of the great nation of the Philippines. We wish likewise to thank you for the remarkable welcome which we received on arriving on your soil. Your offer to give us hospitality in your residence was deeply appreciated, but our practice obliges us to stay at the Apostolic Nunciature. We feel, nevertheless, that we are fully the guest of the Filipino people and so your guest. Thank you again.

We have been informed of the lofty and upright intentions which have inspired and still inspire the policies of your Government. We are certain that this cordial meeting between the humble successor of Peter and the holder of the highest onice among the dear Filipino people the only people in the Far East that is Christian in the greater part will likewise be an effective spur for a new and more vigorous effort in favor of men. We are thinking of an effort to be made through a more equi-table distribution of the riches of this country which has been blessed by God, a real and integral development of individuals and communities, a human advancement especially of the most needy classes a deeper awareness at all levels, not only of one's rights, but still more and above all of one's duties towards other men, other fellow human beings, and towards the whole community.

The object of our visit to Manila is of the spiritual order; it has an apostolic character. Great would be our joy if by our visit the Catholic people were made firm in their faith and in the sincere and coherent expression of it. Great would it be if they were spurred on to seek a happy blending of their religious heritage with the new needs of the modern world. We would like to see strengthened their readiness to live in good understanding with all, to promote social development in the name of

8 Of. Deer, de accomm. renov. vitae religiosae Perfectae caritatis, n. 1.

2 - A. A. S.


the charity of Christ whose witnesses they are, to prize the civic qualities of integrity, disinterestedness and equal service of all. These qualities are the basis of the prosperity of great, free and united peoples.

To your illustrious collaborators we likewise present our respectful greeting and the assurance of our esteem for the greatness of their func-tions. The Church holds in great esteem the servants of the public good who ensure its tasks for the service of all. By according recognition and respect to the rights of persons, families and groups, and by their care for fairness and for economic and social progress, they do honor to Chris-tianity, from which these virtues derive.1

May God bless yourselves and your families. May he reward your devotedness and your admirable hospitality with his abundant graces.

Ad Excellentissimo Viros e Legatorum Coetu.

Messieurs,

Venant dans cette partie du monde pour rencontrer l'piscopat ca-tholique de toute l'Asie, il Nous est agrable de saisir cette occasion pour prsenter nos vux de prosprit vos peuples respectifs. Plusieurs d'en-tre eux entretiennent d'ailleurs avec le Saint-Sige les relations les plus cordiales.

C'est dans l'accomplissement de notre mission spirituelle que Nous avons entrepris ce long voyage, qui doit Nous conduire divers centres de l'immense Asie, et galement en Australie o Nous devons rencontrer la hirarchie catholique de ce Continent. Si donc notre voyage n'a aucun caractre politique, il n'en demeure pas moins que c'est avec la plus grande joie que Nous saluons les populations des divers pays o Nous passons, et leur donnons l'assurance de l'affection et de la volont de les servir qui animent l'Eglise Catholique ainsi que de la profonde estime qu'elle porte la noblesse de leurs traditions culturelles et religieuses.

Dand la ligne mme de notre responsabilit pastorale, Nous esprons que notre voyage se manifestera aussi comme un signe en faveur de la paix et du progrs social. Nous en avons fait l'un des grands objectifs de notre pontificat et notre prire instante est que les curs des hommes, quelque rang de la socit qu'ils appartiennent, mais surtout ceux des responsables, s'ouvrent des sentiments de paix, de solidarit, de justice sociale, de service du bien commun. Le dveloppement est le grand dfi

1 Cf. Rom 13:7.


de cette dcennie. C'est notre gnration qui est interpelle et c'est elle qui doit fournir la rponse: nous serons jugs sur la gnrosit de notre engagement.

Vous, Messieurs, qui avez la si belle mission d'tre les hommes du dialogue, soyez les artisans de la paix entre les nations, car la paix est le premier des biens: elle conditionne et perfectionne les autres. Soyez aussi auprs de vos Gouvernements les avocats de l'entraide interna-tionale en faveur des peuples les moins favoriss, au nom de notre fra-ternit universelle. La solidarit mondiale toujours plus efficiente, di-sions-Nous dans notre encyclique Populorum Progressio, doit permettre tous les peupes de devenir eux-mmes les artisans de leur destin... les peuples plus jeunes ou plus faibles demandent leur part active dans la construction d'un monde meilleur, plus respectueux des droits et de la vocation de chacun. Cet appel est lgitime; chacun de l'entendre et d'y rpondre (65). Ce faisant, vous aurez bien mrit de l'humanit en-tire et Dieu vous bnira. De grand cur Nous invoquons sa divine assis-tance sur vos personnes, sur vos familles, sur vos pays respectifs et sur vos efforts.

In aede Studiorum Universitatis S. Thomae dicatae, ad iuvenes Athenaea frequentantes.

In you we greet the university world of the Philippines. We wish to express first of all our great esteem for the Pontifical University of Santo Tomas which has welcomed us today. It is a university which is one of the most renowned for the richness of its history, one of the most impor-tant in number of students and one of the most well-known for the care it devotes to ducation of high quality.

To you, the Professors, we express our greetings and the respect which is due to men of learning and t o educators. Are you not involved in that search for truth which is so important for man f We are well aware that it takes a great deal of wisdom to distinguish the diffrent ways whereby one pursues the search for total truth. There is the way to put it in a word of human reasoning; it is the way of science, which enjoys the freedom and autonomy of natural thought. There is likewise the way of faith; it is the gift of the Spirit's illumination and our soul's response to God's revealing Word. The distinction and the synthesis demand a sen-sitive opration, but one that is also possible, magnificent and vital. And then it calis for a certain courage to state and dfend the whole truth.


May Christ be your model, he who gave his life in witness to the truth.1

Ali progress towards truth redounds to the glory of God. Does it not also lead to the eneounter with him who above ali others is the Teacher and whose word frees from error and lies? 2 In pursuing your task you respond to the expectations of your brothers.

What a great responsibility is y our s, and what a valuable contribu-tion you make to the march of mankind which, through its laborious quest of an earthly city ruled by justice and freedom, goes in search of him who called himself " the way, the truth and the life " . 3

Dear students, we greet you with the deepest loving interest and with ali our paternal affection. Today is your hour. You are the advancing vanguard of your country. Your responsibility as intellectuals is supreme fot the future of your nation. We understand your aspiration to in-volve yourselves more actively in the life of your people. We know that your dynamism, hand in hand with your special sensitivity, has helped your elders to gain a better grasp of the problems that must be solved.

The youth of the Philippines, like that of ali Asia, is on the march. Allow us in this regard to ask some questions: Do you know in which direction to go? Have you a clear picture of the goals you are aiming at? Are you dedicated to the search for true values? Does your wish to serve your brothers manifest itself in practical choices that prepare you to promote effectively the progress of the many? Are you convinced that one can only be truly free to the extent that one is responsible?

Your age is an age of criticism and criticism can be very useful to society, which always falls short of perfection. Your age is also an age of generous self-giving, and this the Filipino people expect of you. What is asked of you is a balanced harmony of thse two attitudes. Your con-siderable numbers in the universities speak for your intelligence and your thirst for culture; they also at the same time create obligations of a se-riousness rarely to be found in history. The Church wishes to help you to reply to thse vital questions, for your own sake and for that of your brothers. She has received the mission to spread throughout the world the Gospel of salvation. This message, which comes to us from God, is the supreme answer to man's aspirations for total self-realization. But who will believe this Gospel, unless it is brought by convinced witnesses?

1 Cf. Jn 18:37. 2 Cf. Mt 23:8; Jn 3:32. 3 Jn 14:6.


Who will accept its liberating power if its heralds are not themselves liberated from self-interest, lies, from the spirit of division, from sin in all its forms?

Dear students, this Gospel is yours; will you be its bearers along with your religious leaders, your teachers, with all committed Christians, so that you may build on this earth the society of brotherhood for which the world justly yearns?

This is ur message: God is light,4 Jesus Christ is the " light of the world "; he who follows him will not walk in darkness.5

May God bless you, may he enlighten your minds and enable you to discover truth; may he inflame your hearts for the practice of love.

E.mis Patribus Cardinalibus et Exc.mis Praesulibus, qui Episcoporum Symposio ex universa Asia orientali in urbe Manila habito interfuerunt.

Venerable Brothers: Bishops of the Philippines, Bishops of Asia. Greetings to you all in Christ our Lord. Greetings to you, Cardinal Rufino Santos, ALTchbishop of this Church of Manila, hos t to this extraordinary assembly. To each of you, brothers, our greeting of faith and love. For your Churches, your countries, our good wishes full of respect, friendship and peace.

Here we are together at last. This meeting makes us very happy. It is something new, but it corresponds to the profound nature of the Church. The Church has always been the same; it is the family of those who believe in Christ, " composed of every nation under heaven 'V The scene at Pentecost comes to mind and from our hearts there arises and finds expression on our lips the invocation to the Holy Spirit: Veni Sancte Spiritus. To savor this moment with you, a moment that seems to us historie and full of mystery, we have made the long journey from Rome to Manila. We have come to meet you, dear brothers, to know you better, to pay honor to this assembly of yours, to encourage your work, to sus-tain your rsolves. You are the reason for our prsence here today and at this moment the subject of our words. On this our visit to your vast continent, you are, moreover, the prime object of our love.

Even more worthy of our immediate attention than the novelty and

4 Jn 1:5. 5 Cf. Jn 8:12.

1 Acts 2:5.


singularity of this meeting are, it seems to us, the theological meaning that it manifests and the mystery that it makes prsent: Christ is here. He is here through the reality, ever repeated: a gathering in his name.2

He is here through the faith that makes him live in each one of us. 3 He is here also through the coming of our humble person, to whom, as a lowly successor of Peter, is applied in a very special way the title of Vicar of Christ. And Christ our Lord is here through the apostolic ministry en-trusted to each of us, 4 and through the collgial relationship that joins us together.5 We, the successors of the Apostles and the pastors of the Church of God, are invested with the power not only of representing Christ, but also of making prsent on earth and in time his voice 6 and his saving action.7 Christ is here.

Let us take notice of this mysterious reality, with an act of faith both conscious and strong. It is true: we flrmly believe that the Lord's pro-mise, " Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age " , 8 is ful-filled now, at this moment of history, in a singular and marvelous way. Christ is with us.

How is this promise fulfilled at this moment? It is fulfllled in the countenance of the Church, herself the " sign and sacrament " of Christ.9

This countenance seems here to reflect with brilliant clarity the charac-teristic marks of the Church: one, holy catholic and apostolic. This last mark, apostolicity, concerns us now in a particular way. Let us think about it for a moment.

All of us meeting here are successors of the Apostles. We have received from Christ himself the mandate, the power, his Spirit to carry on and to spread his mission. We are the heirs of the Apostles; we are Christ working in history and the world; we are the ministers of his pastoral government of the Church; we are the institutional organ, entrusted with dispensing the mysteries of God. 1 0

You know that the Council has clearly proclaimed this doctrine, which

2 Mt 18:20. 3 Eph 3:1T. 4 Cf. Const. dogm. de Ecclesia Lumen gentium, n. 21. 5 Ibid., n. 22. 6 LJc 10:16. 7 Mt 28:19. 8 Mt 28:20. 3 Cf. Const. dogm. de Ecclesia Lumen gentium, n. 1; De Lubac, Mditation sur

l'Eglise, 157 fe. 10 Cf. l Cor 4:1; 2 Cor 6:4; Const. dogm. de Ecclesia Lumen gentium, n. 20.


forms part of the divine and unchanging constitution of the Church. You know too that there have sprung up many discussions about this doc-trine; not all of them are useful for confrming and expounding it, as they should, but sometimes indeed more apt to confuse the doctrine and weak-en it. This seems to us a suitable occasion for restating our firm support of the doctrine of the apostolic nature of the Church. We must realize that this doctrine establishes the permanence and the authenticity of the foundation of the Church by Christ; it marks the boundaries of eccle-sial communion; 1 1 it qualifies our persons with a sacramental character for the ministry that is entrusted to us; it makes us members of a single Apostolic College, under the leadership of Peter, estabhshing between us bonds of unity, love, peace, solidarity and collaboration; it vindicates the importance and the fdelity of tradition. Besides this it demonstrates the prsent vitality and ever-renewed youth of the Church; it explains its organic hierarchy and the vital capacity of the Mystical Body to func-tion; it safeguards the existence and the exercise of the ministerial pow-ers proper to the Christian priesthood, which shares in the single priest-hood of Christ; it is the prime source, authorized and responsible, of missionary activity.12 The fact that it derives its authority not from " below " but from Christ does not mean that it sets up a privileged caste, but rather it makes of the Episcopate an organ for the benefit and ser-vice of ali the individuai churches, and of the entire Catholic Church, one which works from love, to the very point of sacrifice.13

We remind you of ali this, brothers, that your confidence may be great in Ohrist's assistance for you and your labors, for your sufferings and your hopes. You must be aware of your vocation, the fact of your responsibility. You must ever hear re-echoing in the depths of your souls the words of Saint Paul: " B e on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood " , 1 4 Be strong, be patient. You have before you an immense feld for your apostolate; its very geographical vastness and the enormous multitudes that inhabit it would suffice to fre your apostolic zeal.

ECere we should cast our glance over that human panorama in which

11 Cf. Lh 10:16; 11:23; Decr. de Oecumenismo Unitatis redintegratio, n. 2. 12 Cf. Journet, L'Eglise du Verbe Incarn II, 1208, 2. 13 Cf. Decr. de past. Episcop. munere in Ecclesia Christus Dominus, n. 6. 14 Acts 20:28.


your ministry must be exercised, although we know that you have already had exprience in theory and in practice.

You have before you an immense feld for your apostolate. It is dif-fcult to speak of Asia as a whole since more than half of mankind lives here. One can however point to a certain network of common interests, a certain identity in the way of looking at life and a certain harmony of aspirations. Young in its peoples but rieh in civilizations often thousands of years old, Asia is impelled as by an irresistible desire to occupy her rightful place in the world, and her influence is effectively increasing. The attraction to change and the desire for progress are prsent every-where, and we see in them a fresh chance for the man of today.

It is certainly true that except for certain rgions such as the Phil-ippines the Church, in spite of a history which is already long, is re-presented in Asia only by small minorities. Yet who can say how much heroic dvotion, as well as faith in the men of Asia, has guided from the first beginnings the destiny of the missions of this continent? Who could ever fully describe the journeyings often, even up to our own times, painful and tragic of a missionary apostolate upheld by only one sup-port, that coming from on high! Therefore our hope is great, based as it is upon the command of the Lord to go to all nations, and upon his promises conveyed in the parables of the mustard seed and the leaven in the dough.1 5

We shall limit ourself to indicating a few points which seem to us to be of capital importance for your prsent mission. Nothing of what we say is new to you; but we hope that you will take comfort in hearing your thoughts and intentions confirmed by our words.

The first thing that we would propose to you is this: let us make an effort to take as our guide the teaching of the recent Ecumenical Council. This teaching sums up and ratifies the hritage of Catholic tradition and opens the way for a renewal of the Church according to the needs and possibilities of modem times. This adhrence to the teachings of the Council can establish a wonderful harmony throughout the Church, and this harmony can enhance the effectiveness of our pastoral activity and preserve us from the errors and weaknesses of the prsent time. This is* especially true in one particular field, the field of faith. It seems to us that the defence and the spreading of the faith must take first place in our spiritual expression, and that it must be the prime object of our

15 LJc 13:18-20.


pastoral care. We bishops are the teachers of the faith. We are the preach-ers, the promoters of instruction in the faith. This is our main task and commitment. From this duty flows everything that we do to encour-age study of the faith, catechesis, knowledge and mditation of the Word of God, Catholic teaching and Catholic schools, our press, the use of social Communications and ecumenical dialogue. We cannot keep silent. We must not lose the truth and unity of the faith. We must strive to make the faith the fundamental driving principie of the Christian life of our communities.

To this plea for the affirmation and the orthodoxy of the faith permit us to add a plea for prayer. In our day we are witnessing the decline of prayer, and you know the causes of this. Yet in favour of prayer we have two great though diffrent resources: the first is the liturgical re-form promoted by the recent Council. The Council has not only renewed the outward form of ritual, always according to certam traditional norms, but it has also given fresh life to the sources doctrinal, sacramental, communal and pastoral of the Church's prayer. We must take advan-tage of this providental teaching, if we wish prayer always to be the hving and sincere expression of the faithful and always to retain in the Church a place of honor among religious values. The second resource of prayer is the natural inclination of the Asiatic spirit. We must honor and cul-tvate this deep and innate religious sense, which is the hallmark of the soul of the Eastern world. We must dfend the spirituality proper to thse peoples and ensure that their contact with materialis tic modem secular civilization does not suffocate the inner aspirations of this spirir tuality. We are certain that the Church possesses the secret of trae con-versation with God; and you have the duty of opening the hearts of your people to the mysterious and true Word of God and to the intense filial expression of religious dialogue to which Christ authorized us and which the Spirit gives us the power to direct to the heavenly Father.

In this regard there arises another fundamental point, which concerns not only the language of prayer and religious instruction but the genius and style of evangelization which, as the Council says, must " be adapted to the particular way of thinking and acting " of the peoples to which it is directed.16

If, in the past, an insuffcient knowledge of the hidden riches of the various civilizations hindered the spread of the Gospel message and

16 Cf. Decr. de activ. mission. Ecclesiae Ad gentes divinitus, nn. 16-18, etc.


gave the Church a certain foreign aspect, it is for you to show that the salvation brought by Jesus Christ is offered to ail, without distinction of condition, without any privileged link with one race, continent or eivi-lization. Far from wishing to stifle " the seeds of good in men's hearts and minds or in their own rites and culture ", the Gospel heals, raises and perfects them for the glory of God. 1 7 Just as Jesus Christ shared the condition of those who were his own, so the man of Asia can be a Catholic and remain fully Asian. As we declared a year ago in Africa, if the Church must above all be Catholic, a pluralism is legitmate and even dsirable in the manner of professing one common faith in the one same Jesus Christ.

And this, brothers, is also the foundation of your particular respon-sibility as you continue to proclaim Jesus Christ t the men of Asia. None better then an Asian can speak to an Asian. None better than he should know how to draw from the treasures of your rich cultures the l-ments for the building up in Asia of a Church which will be one and cath-olic, founded upon the Apostles and yet diffrent in its life styles. Should we not note, to the praise of your peoples and for the strengthening of your pastoral activity, the naturai disposition of the peoples of the East for this religious mystery, which seems a prophtie sign of their cali to Christian rvlation?

Your individuai churches would certainly lack an essential aspect of maturity if missionary vocations did not develop within them. It is for the bishops of Asia, for their priests, their religious brothers and sisters and their lay people engaged in the apostolate to be the first apostles of their Asian brothers, with the coopration of missionales from abroad, whose merits are so great, and whose efforts God grant will con-tinue and grow, in the name of the unchangeable solidarity that is the duty of the whole Church in this sphre.

One of the aspects of the prsent adaptation of missionary activity, which we stressed in our last Message for Mission Sunday, is the impor-tance it accords to the action of development. Is not the Gospel, which is the good news preached to the poor, 1 8 the source of development? The Church, conscious of human aspirations towards dignity and well-being, pained by the unjust inequalities which stili exist and often become more

17 Cf. Const. dogm. de Ecclesia Lumen gentium, n. 17; Decr. de activ. mission. Ec-clesiae Ad gentes divinitus, n. 22.

18 Lie 4:18.


acute between nations and within nations, while respecting the comp-tence of States, must fter her assistance for promoting " a fuller human-ism ", that is to say " the full development of the whole man and of every man " . 1 9 It is a logicai consquence of our Christian faith. The hierarchy of the Philippines recalled it quite recently: " Christianity and democracy have one basic principie in common: the respect for the dignity and value of the human person, the respect of those means which man requires to make himself fully human " . 2 0 It is in the ame of this principie that the Church must support as best she can the struggle against ignorance, hun-ger, disease and social insecurity. Taking her place in the vanguard of social action, she must bend all her efforts to support, encourage and push forward initiatives working for the full promotion of man. Since she is the witness of human conscience and of divine love for men, she must take up the defence of the poor and the weak against every form of social injustice.

We know that much has been done by you in this regard, on the level both of study and action. We are convinced that in this way you are contributing to the maintaining of peace: " Christian faith, as well as the intimate link that should exist between the promotion of human rights and the socio-economie progress of man are the true basis for authentic and lasting peace ", as the Philippine episcopate likewise declared.21

As we utter that word " peace " how can we f ail to raise up anew our heart to implore from the Lord that the peoples so painfully and for so long aiflicted by war be able at last, in justice and in peace, to lead a happy and peaceful life!

Finally, we pray to Christ that he will grant that this journey may be for all the peoples of Asia a confirmation of the invitation offered them by him to accept his message, charged with truth and love, divinely conceived for them, for each of them, in his own language and in harmony with his own civilization, as it has been received and as it continues to be welcomed still by the people of the Phippines!

May Mary, Mother of the Word made flesh, Mother of the Apostles, preside stili over this Pentecost.

19 Litt. Encycl. Populorum progressio, n. 12. * 9 July 1970. 2 1 1 May 1970.


In viridario v. d. Luneta Park habita novensilibus sacerdotibus a Bea-tissimo Patre initiatis, pueris ac puellis ad sacram synaxim primum acce-dentibus atque ingenti Christifidelium multitudini.

Dearly beloved sons and brothers. Newly ordained priests of God's Church.

We will only say a few short words, because the ceremony is long enough already and speaks for itself; then too, yon are already well in-formed concerning the sacrament which yon are receiving.

We will do no more than recommend you to meditate on your ordi-nation for the rest of your lives. Today sees the beginning for you of a subject for thought, prayer and action, which you must always recali, examine, explore and seek to understand. It must be stamped on your consciousness, just as the sacramental character is already stamped on your sols, on your being as men, on your being as Christians. Think of it! Today you have become priests! Try to give a dfinition of your-selves and the words come with effort and difficulty; the reality which they try to express is stili more difficult, mysterious and inexpressible. What has taken place in you makes one truly marvel; " How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?" , 1 each of you can say, on feeling himself invested by the transforming action of the Holy Spirit. You become for yourselves something to wonder at and revere. Never forget it. Though the world does not know of it, and though many seek to strip the priest's Personality of it, your " sacrality " must be kept ever prsent in your minds and in your conduct. It derives from a new qualifying prsence of the Holy Spirit in your souls; if you are watchful in love, you will also exprience it within you. 2 Never doubt your priestly identity; seek rather to understand it.

You will be able to understand something of your priesthood by trying to comprehend two Orders of relationships set up by it. The first order concerns the relationships with Christ which you have taken on by your priestly ordination. You know that in the religious dispensatum of the New Testament there is only one true priesthood, that of Jesus Christ, the one mediator between God and mankind.3 But by virtue of the Sac-rament of Orders you have become sharers in Christ's priesthood, so

1 Ps 115:12. 2 Cf. Jn 14:17, 22-23. 3 1 Tim 2:5.


that not only do you represent Christ, not only do you exercise his minis-try, but you live Christ. Christ lives in you. Inasmuch as you are asso-ciated with him in a degree that is so high and so flled with a sharing in his mission of salvation, you can say, as Saint Paul said of him self: " I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me " . 4

This is something that opens to the priest the way of ascent for spiritua-lity, the highest way open to man, one that reaches the summits of ascet-ical and mystical life. If ever some day you feel lonely, if ever some day you feel that you are weak secular men, if ever some day you are tempted to abandon the sacred commitment of your priesthood, re-member that you are " through him, with him and in him "; each one of you is " another Christ

The second order of relationships linking you from now on to the Church is that with your bishop or superior, with the People of God, with persons, and also with the world. The priest is no longer for himself; he is for the ministry of Christ's Mystical Body. He is a servant, an instru-ment of the Word and of grce. The proclamation of the Gospel, the clbration of the Eucharist, the remission of sins, the exercise of pasto-ral activity, the life of faith and worship, and the radiation of charity and holiness are his duty, a duty that reaches the point of self-sacrifce, of the cross, as for Jesus. It is a very heavy brden. But Jesus bears it with his chosen one and makes him feel the truth of his words: " My yoke is easy and my brden light " . 5 Por, as Saint Augustine teaches us, " my weight is my love " . 6 When love of Christ becomes the single supreme principie of the life of a priest, it makes all easy, all possible, all happy.

We would like the awareness of being thus destined as a pastor to serve your neighbor never to be extinguished within you; we would like it to make you always sensitive to the ills, the needs and the suferings which surround the life of a priest. All classes of people seem to Stretch out their hands to him and to ask for his understanding, his compassion and his assistance: children, young people, the poor, the sick, those who hunger for bread and for justice, the unfortunate, the sinners all have need of the help of the priest. Never say that your lives are irrelevant and useless. " Who is weak ", say s Saint Paul, " and I am not weakl " . '

4 Gal 2:20. 5 Mt 11:30. 6 Confessions 13, 9. 7 2 Cor 11:29.


If you have this sensitivity to the physical, moral and social deftciencies of mankind, you will also find in yourselves another sensitivity, that to the potential good which is always to be found in every human being; for a priest, every life is worthy of love. This twofold sensitivity, to evil and to good in man, is the beating of Christ's heart in that of the faithful priest. It is not without something of the miraculous, a miracle that is psychologica!, moral and, if you like, mystical, while at the same time being very much a social one. It is a miracle of charity in the heart of a priest.

You will exprience it. That is our wish for you on the day of your ordination to the priesthood. And with our wish goes our Apostolic Blessing.

And you, dear children making your first Communion today, what shall we say to you?

The most beautiful thing to say is this: stay always, for all your lives, as you are today: good, religious, innocent, and friends of Jesus who is now coming into your hearts. Maybe you know that Jesus had a very special love for children, and that he sai d to every one: " Unless you be-come like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven 8 " , that is to say, unless you are like children you will never be real Chris-tians and go to heaven. We must always be like little children. But what can we do? We grow up, and life changes.

But let one thing never change for you, dear children: always remem-ber this day, and promise Jesus that you will always be his friends, with humility, simplicity and trust. His friends, even when you are grown up; always friends of Jesus. Will you promise that? You will see that Jesus will accept your promise, and will always be your friend, for ever.

We will pray to him together that it may be so. With our arfectionate blessing.

Iis qui personam Summi Pontificis in regionibus asiaticis gerunt.

Venerabili Fratelli,

desideriamo manifestarvi la Nostra gioia nel trovarci, sia pure per poco, in mezzo a voi, che siete i Nostri pi vicini e fedeli collaboratori. Noi vi rivolgiamo il Nostro vivo ringraziamento per la diligenza, con la

8 Mt 18:3.


quale avete cooperato alla riuscita di questa Conferenza Panasiatica delle Conferenze Episcopali, ed intendiamo ricordare, in maniera speciale e particolarmente calorosa, il Nunzio Apostolico nelle Filippine, la cui competenza e devozione, grazie anche ai solerti collaboratori, Ci ha con-sentito di compiere questa prima tappa del Nostro viaggio in Estremo Oriente.

Come potete constatare voi stessi, la Nostra volont in occasione di questi trasferimenti, innanzitutto quella di stabilire un contatto fra-terno con i Vescovi, di incoraggiarli nella coordinazione del loro lavoro pastorale, nel rispetto del principio di sussidiariet e del vincolo della collegialit episcopale, di attuare progressivamente le grandi linee diret-trici dell'ultimo Concilio Ecumenico.

La funzione dei Nunzi anche essa in evoluzione. Pino ad ora il Nun-zio non era altro che il rappresentante del Papa presso i Governi e le Chiese. La sua azione presso di queste era soprattutto di ordine gerar-chico e amministrativo, ed egli rimaneva, in qualche modo, come un corpo estraneo alla Chiesa locale. Oggi, invece, il Nunzio deve imprimere alla sua azione un pi spiccato accento pastorale, perch anch'egli a servizio del Regno di Dio che progredisce nel rispettivo Paese.

Se Noi abbiamo recentemente preso parte ai lavori delle grandi As-semblee episcopali regionali come facemmo lo scorso anno a Kampala, come abbiamo fatto qui a Manila e come faremo durante il Nostro viag-gio a Sydney , proprio per sottolineare la Nostra comunione e la No-stra solidariet con le sollecitudini pastorali che toccano ciascuna re-gione del mondo. Come dicemmo, un anno fa nell'atto di aprire la seconda sessione del Sinodo dei Vescovi, la collegialit carit e, in certa misura, corresponsabilit. E voi, come Rappresentanti Pontifici, dovete essere presso le Gerarchie locali il segno vivente di questa comunione e di questa solidariet, condividendo, per quanto possibile, le loro stesse preoccupazioni pastorali. Venendo dal centro della cristianit, voi siete i testimoni della cattolicit e dell'universalit del Messaggio Cristiano. Partecipando del carisma particolare di Pietro, voi rappresentate in maniera privilegiata le esigenze della unit nell'auspicata diversit delle espressioni della medesima fede. In forza del vostro stretto col-legamento con la Sede del Capo del Collegio apostolico, voi costituite, per cos dire, il trait d'union tra le Chiese particolari del mondo intero.

Ci non pu concepirsi senza un pi fraterno contatto con la vita delle Chiese locali, di cui tocca a voi trovare, in ciascun caso, le modalit con-


crete, nello spirito di nn autentico servizio e nella coscienza di essere prima di tutto il legame della carit.

In segno di paterno incoraggiamento e con l'assicurazione della Nostra profonda fiducia per il vostro delicato apostolato, impartiamo a Voi, come ai vostri collaboratori, la Nostra Benedizione Apostolica.

Christifidelibus quam plurimis, praesertim iuvenibus, qui Sacrificio Eu-charistico adfuerunt a Summo Pontifice celebrato in foro v. d. Quezon Circle .

I, Paul, the successor of Saint Peter, charged with the pastoral mis-sion for the whole Church, would never have come from Rome to this far-distant land, unless I had been most firmly convinced of two funda-mental things: first, of Christ; and second, of your salvation.

Convinced of Christ: yes, I feel the need to proclaim him, I cannot keep silent. " Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! " . x I am sent by Christ himself, to do this. I am an apostle, I am a witness. The more distant the goal, the more diffcult my mission, the more pressing is the love that urges me to it. 2 I must bear witness to his name: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. 3 He reveis the invisible God, he is the frstborn of ali cration, the foundation of everything created. He is the Teacher of mankind, and its Redeemer. He was born, he died and he rose again for us. He is the centre of his tory and of the world; he is the one who knows us and who loves us; he is the companion and the friend of our life. He is the man of sorrows and of hope. It is he who will come and who one day will be our judge and we hope the everlasting fulness of our existence, our happiness. I could never finish speaking about him: he is the light and the truth; indeed, he is " the way, the truth and the life " . 4 He is the bread and the spring of living water to satisfy our hunger and our thirst. He is our shepherd, our guide, our model, our comfort, our brother. Like us, and more than us, he has been little, poor, humiliated; he has been a worker; he has known misfortune and been patient. For our sake he spoke, worked miracles and founded a new kingdom where the poor are happy, where peace is the principie for liv>

1 1 Cor 9:16. 2 Cf. 2 Cor 5:14. 3 Mt 16:16. 4 Jn 14:6.


ing together, where the pure of heart and those who mourn are raised up and comforted, where those who hunger and thirst after justice have their fili, where sinners can be forgiven, where ali are brothers.

Jesus Christ: you have heard him spoken of; indeed the greater part of you are already his: you are Christians. So, to you Christians I repeat his name, to everyone I proclaim him: Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega; he is the king of the new world; he is the secret of history; he is the key to our destiny. He is the mediator, the bridge, between heaven and earth. He is more perfectly than anyone else the Son of Man, because he is the Son of God, eternai and infinite. He is the son of Mary, blessed among ali women, his mother according to the flesh, and our mother. through the sharing in the Spirit of his Mystical Body.

Jesus Christ is our constant preaching; it is his name that we proclaim to the ends of the earth 5 and throughout all ages.6 Eemember this and ponder on it: the Pope has come here among you and has proclaimed Jesus Christ!

In doing this I express also the second dynamic idea that brings me to you: that Jesus Christ is to be praised not only for what he is in himself; he is to be exalted and lo ved for what he is for us, for each one of us, for every people and for every culture. Christ is our Saviour. Christ is our greatest benefactor. Christ is our liberator. We need Christ, in order to be genuine and worthy men in the temporal order, and men saved and raised to the supernatural order.

At this point several questions prsent themselves. They are ques-tions that torment our times, and I am sure that they are in your minds too. These questions are: Can Christ really be of any use to us for solving the practical and concrete problems of the prsent life? Did he not say that his kingdom is not of this world? What can he do for us? In other words, can Christianity give rise to a trae humanism? Can the Christian view of life inspire a real renewal of society? Can that view harmonize with the demands of modera life, and favour progress and well-being of ail? Can Christianity Interpret people's yearnings and identify with the tendencies special to your culture?

These questions are many, and we cannot answer them with one single formula which would take account of the complexity of the prob-

5 Cf. Rom 10:18. 6 Rom 9:5.

3 - A. A. S.


lems and the diffrent needs of man, spiritual, moral, economie, politicai, ethnie, historical and social. Yet, as far as the positive and happy devel-opment of your social conditions is concerned, we can give a positive answer: Christianity can be salvation also on the earthly and human level. Christ multiplied the loaves also to satisfy the physical hunger of the crowds following him. And Christ continues to work this miracle for those who truly believe in him, and who take from him the principies of a dynamic social order, that is, of an order that is continually progressing and being renewed.

Eor example, Christ, as you 'know, constantly proclaims his great and supreme commandment of love. There exists no social ferment strong-er and better than this. In its positive aspect it unleashes incomparable and unquenchable moral forces; in its negative aspect it denounces ail forms of selfishness, inertia and forgetfulness which do harm to the needs of other s. Christ proclaims the equality and brotherhood of ail men: who but he has taught and can still effectively teach such principies which revolution, while benetting from them, rejects? Who but he, we say, has revealed the fatherhood of God, the true and unassailable reason for the brotherhood of men? And whence cornes the genuine and sacred freedom of man if not from human dignity, of which Christ made himself the teacher and champion? And who, if not he, has made available tem-poral goods, when he took from them the nature of ends in themselves and declared that they are means, means which must to some extent suffce for all, and means which are of less value than the supreme goods of the spirit? Who but Christ has planted in the hearts of his followers the talent for love and service on behalf of all man's sufferings and needs? Who has proelaimed the law of work as a right, a duty and a means of providence? Who has proelaimed the dignity that r aises it to the level of Cooperation with and fulfillment of the divine plan? Who has freed it from every form of inhuman slavery, and given it its reward of justice and merit?

To you who are students and can well grasp these fundamental ideas and these higher values, I would say this: Today while you are challeng-ing the structures of affluent society, the society that is dominated by technology and by the anxious pursuit of productivity and consumption, you are aware of the insufficiency and the deceptiveness of th economie and social materialism that marks our prsent progress. You are truly able to reafirm the superiority, richness and relevance of authentic Chris-tian sociology, based on true knowledge of man and of his destiny.

Workers, my message to you is this: While today you have become


aware of your strength, take are that in the pursuit of your total reha-bilitation you do not adopt formulas that are incomplete and inaccurate. These, while oiering you partial victories of an economie and hedonistic nature, under the banner of a selflsh and bitter struggle, may later in-crease the disappointment of having been deprived of the higher values of the spirit, of having been deprived of your religious personality and of your hope in the life that will not end. Let your aspirations be inspired by the vigour and wisdom that only the Gospel of the divine Worker can give you.

To you, the poor, I have this to say: remember that you have a su-preme friend Christ who called you blessed, the privileged inheritors of his kingdom. He personifed himself in you, so as to turn to you every good person, every generous heart, every man who wishes to save him-self by seeking in you Christ the Saviour. Yes, strive to raise yourselves: you have a right and duty to do so. Demand the help of a society that wishes to be called civilized but do not curse either your lot or those who lack sensitivity, for you know that you are rich in the values of Christian patience and redemptive suffering.

A final word, to you who are rich: remember how severe Christ was in your regard, when he saw you self-satisfied, inactive and selfsh. And on the other hand remember how responsive and grateful he was when he found you thoughtful and generous; he said that not even a cup of cold water given in a Christian spirit would go unrewarded. Perhaps it is your hour: the time for you to open your eyes and hearts to a great new vision not dedicated to the struggles of self-interest, hatred and violence, but dedicated to solicitous and generous love and to trae progress.

Ali this, dear sons and daughters, dear brothers and sisters, is part of the message of the Catholic faith. I have the happy duty to proclaim it here, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

NUNTIUS Ad Rectores ac Moderatores Civitatum universae Asiae per aetherias undas missus e Manilensi radiophonica statione, Radio Veritas nuncupata.

1. To you the countless millions of men and women, our brothers and sisters who live in Asia, this crossroads of cultures ancient and mo-dem, and in a special manner to those among you who are our own chil-dren in Christ the blessing of God, abiding peace and fraternity.

We are happy to address these words to you on the occasion of the


inauguration of Radio Veritas, to which we desire to offer our encour-agement for an ever more enlightened, generous and fruitful activity. We also express our apprciation to Cardinal Rufino Santos, who promoted this great enterprise, and to all those who have made possible the real-ization of this important work. It is our fervent wish that through it there may reach you the echo of the teachings of Christ, to raise your hearts to the God of love and truth. We hope that it will knit among you, its listeners, bonds of evangelical love, so that, made conscious of " the joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who ar poor 'V you may together undertake the con-struction of a more just and more united society.

Brethren, this is the first time the head of the Catholic Church has come to this part of your continent, and providence has decreed that it should be in our humble person. We are grateful, for we regard Asia with love and rvrence for the venerable antiquity and richness of its millennial culture. This immense land is the source of great civilizations, the birthplace of world religions, the treasurehouse of ancient wisdom. We are now in a rgion where the cultural currents of the East and the more recent ones from the West have merged in mutuai enrichment.

2. As we address our words to you, we canno t omit mention of a considration which is as obvious as it is worthy of being kept constantly in mind. Your continent, stretching from the limits of: ancient Europe and Africa to the Pacific and covering very nearly a third of the lands given to man for his home, is inhabited by more than a half of all man-kind. This fact alone gives some idea of the magnitude of the problems that face your people. At the same time it shows the importance we might say the weight that Asia has for the prsent, and, even more so, for the future of the entire world. This double aspect we regard with great interest, and with respect for those whose task it is to ensure, with far-sighted wisdom, that development takes place with the necessary speed and care, not with clamorous and dangerous disorder, but in a be-neficiai and rational way. Our interest also goes hand in hand with our good wishes and with our willingness to contribute all that we can to this end. Our interest is mingled too with great hope.

No one more than ourself sincerely wishes to see you take your rightful place in the world and receive your legitmate share in the means and opportunities of economie and social welfare. No one more than ourself

1 Const. past. de Eccl. in mundo huius temporis Gaudium et spesr n. 1.


is aware of and deplores the situations of incomplete development or of unequal distribution that still exist among you, in the relations of one nation with another or among Citizens of one and the same nation. No one more than ourself because of justice and out of affection for your peoples, without distinction or prfrence except for the weakest and the most needy, through the very interest we have in peaceful coexistence and in good and fruitful coopration within your countries, throughout your vas t rgions and also outside and beyond them expresses the fervent wish that such situations may be eliminated at the earliest pos-sible moment and as completely as possible, in conformity with the nat-urai rights of individuis, of the various social groups and of ali peoples.

We are aware that the difficulties are many, also in the technical sphre. These difficulties cannot be bypassed without Worldwide coopr-ation and mutual and disinterested assistance. Happily the conscious-ness of this necessity is gaining ground and the realization of the duty of solidarity is growing among the nations of the world. We exhort you to act generously in this great movement. We exhort also those outside the continent of Asia who have the ability and the duty to do so, to offer ever more generous coopration for the integral development of ali.

In like manner we feel the pressing duty to exhort all those in posi-tions of responsibility to deal decisively with injustices in situations and in relations among various social groups, wherever such injustices are found. We exhort them further to give an ever stronger impulse, with open minds and hearts and with a frm hand, to the human betterment of all Citizens, giving particular attention to the needs and rights of the most impoverished and abandoned among those Citizens: from the work-ers who aspire to just wages to those who work on the land, where there is often a crying need for wise agrarian reform.

3. As we utter these exhortations we are sustained by a great hope. This hope, we would like you to know, is based not only on the help of God and on the responsible commitment of ali of you from the most humble to the most exalted in your respective functions - but also on an awareness of the virtues and natural qualities which, in spite of the countless diffrences between one people and another, are common to ail your peoples and of which certain ones constitute for those peoples a characteristic mark.

In fact, contemplating the past history of your nations, brethren, we are impressed most of ali by the sens of spiritual values dominating the thoughts of your sages and the lives of your vas t multitudes. The dis-

38 Acta Apostolicae Sedis -r Commentarium Officiale

cipline of your ascetics, the deep religious spirit of your peoples, your filial piety and attachment to the family, your vnration of ancestors all of these point to the primacy of the spirit; all reveal your interminable quest for God, your hunger for the supernatural.

These character]* s tics are not of value for your spiritual life alone. Taken together, they not only do not constitute an obstacle to the attain-ment of that technica!, economie and social progress to which your num-berless peoples rightly aspire; but indeed, they offer a foundatin of in-calculable value to favour full progress in such a way so as not to sacrifice those deepest and most precious values which constitute man as the being that is directed by the influence of the spiritual the master, at least potentially, of the cosmos and of its forces, and likewise the subduer of himself.

Science and technology are proof of the conquest of the material order by the spirit of man. And yet it is under the shadow of these achieve-ments that materialism has taken shelter. Wherever technology is in-troduced on a large scale, there materialism also tries to insinuate itself. With your traditional spiritual outlook, however, your sense of discipline and morality, and the integrity of your family life, you must be able to counter materialism and even help Western civilization to overeme the dangers that its very progress brings in its wake.

4. But materialism with ali its negative consquences is only the outward symptom of a deeper malaise now afflicting large sections of the human family: a weakening of faith in God, or even the total loss of it. And when atheism turns militant and aggressive, as it has done, it becomes immensely more dangerous to individuis and nations. All the God-fearing peoples of your continent and their religious leaders have to face this common danger. Asia, where great world religions were born, must not suecumb to godlessness. We pray, and invite you all to pray with us, that God's light and love may preserve your peoples from such a danger.

5. Here it is our duty to say a word about the prsence and action of the Catholic Church in your midst. We do so ali the more willingly from this land of the Philippines, in which the Catholic Church has for centuries been fully at home. The Church feels at home not only here but in all your nations. What she has to bring to you also, that is the message of Ohrist, is not imposed upon its hearers but rather proelaimed in open and friendly words. It is offered for your instruction and mditation, and it is not such as in any way to cancel out or lessen the cultural and spiritual values that constitute your priceless hritage.

Acta Palili Pp. VI 39

Christ is light and truth and life. And we proclaim him to you as he appears to our unshakeable faith. We are obedient to his charge, his; command: Go, preach to ail nations the good, the happy news, instructing them in my teaching of love and life. This we do, brothers and sisters, with humble love for you, with deep respect for yourselves and for your ancient and venerable traditions.

In fact, the Church, by virtue of her essential eatholicity, cannot be alien to any country or people; she is bound to make herself native to every clime, culture and race. Wherever she is, she must strike her roots deep into the spiritual and cultural ground of the place and assimilate all that is of genuine value.

Our predecessors, the Second Vatican Council, and we ourself, have not only encouraged this movement but also furnished the necessary guidelines for it. Thus, while preserying the cultural excellence and in-dividuality of each nation, the Catholic Church will be able to commu-nicate what is of universal value in each of them to ali the others, for their mutual enrichment.

Christ and his message certainly have a divine charm which the deeply religious East can appreciate. Your faith and love, overflowing into your daily life and activity, can make this message, and Christ himself, visible and acceptable to your countrymen as no preaching can do.

6. This mission of bringing Christ and his Church close to the men and women of Asia belongs not only to the hierarchy, the priests and the religious brothers and sisters, but to each one of you, our dear Catholic sons and daughters of the diffrent nations which we are now addressing.

Together you make up the People of God. Together you must show forth Christ to othrs. In imitation of Jesus Christ who went about doing good,2 Christians are the best friends of their fellowmen. Their faith must impel them to work for the sanctification of the world 3 and to take the lead in that indispensable movement of brotherly solidarity. It is this which must satisfy all men in their hunger for bread, employment, shelter and ducation; this movement must bring a response to men's yearnings for responsibility, freedom, justice, the moral virtues, and in a word, a " complete humanism " . 4

7. We cannot bring our words to a close without directing a heart-

2 Cf. Acts 10:39. 3 Cf. Const. dogm. de Ecclesia Lumen gentium, n. 31. 4 Litt. Encycl. Populorum progressio, n. 42.


felt and particularly affectionate greeting to those peoples of your con-tinent who are still oppressed by the tragedy of war. Our heart is heavy at the thought of the thousands of victims of the confliets now taking place, at the thought of the orphans and widows abandoned, of the homes and villages destroyed, at the thought of the hate which is spread abroad and which often explodes, even today, in acts of war and terrorism, affect-ing also many innocent and defenceless people.

We have not ceased - nor shall we cease in urgent appeals, both in public and in our meetings with leaders, that an unflagging search be carried out, with wise and persistent goodwill, for the means to suspend hostilities and to reach at last a just and honourable peace, which will ensure for ali the peoples involved freedom from disturbance, liberty and the chance for a serene and fitting existence.

This appeal, this fervent plea, we wish solemnly to renew here and now. And to all those who are suffering, to all those who are seeking to alleviate their sufferings and to ali those who are working for peace we send our most sincere good wishes.

8. At the same time we renew from our heart the expression of our profound sharing in the bitter grief that in these recent weeks has struck a great and dear land, Pakistan, which has been the victim of a natural disaster the like of which probably does not exist in human memory.

9. Upon every one, fnally, upon ali the peoples of Asia, upon their heads of state and rulers, whom we greet with respect, we invoke from on high wisdom and the will and sufficient strength to ensure the happy and rapid development of their respective nations throughout this entir continent. To the heads of the religions of Asia and to their faithful we express our esteem for the

aas 63 [1971] - ocr

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